The five victims were found inside an owner type jeep, when security guard Efren Dumpao of the Laurel Municipal Hospital happened to pass by the provincial road and found the jeep (DSL-353) on the roadside in Barangay Ticub at around 5:00 a.m. on April 15.

When he checked the vehicle, he found the bodies of the victims inside with gunshot wounds on their heads and several stab wounds.

Meanwhile, probers said the suspects were identified when a witness turned over a cellphone apparently owned by Lincallo that contains a text message from Vergara who allegedly admitted his involvement in the massacre.

“We were able to trace the text message with the help of Digital Forensic Examination of the Anti-Cybercrime Division in Camp Crame ” Fidel said.

Initial investigation pointed to robbery as the prime motive of the suspects since the P50,000 cash of the victims were missing.

However, sources from the police said a territorial dispute in gambling operations could be one of the motives of the killers.

The victims had just attended a wake in Laurel town to play a card game and was heading home to Alfonso, Cavite after winning a large amount of money when they were waylaid in Barangay Ticub.